Symptoms and social adjustment in Jewish depressives

A comprehensive review of approaches to detect fatigue using machine learning techniques

In the past decades, there have been numerous advancements in the field of technology. This has led to many scientific breakthroughs in the field of medical sciences. In this, rapidly transforming world we are having a difficult time and the problem of fatigue is becoming prevalent. So, this study aimed to understand what is fatigue, its repercussions, and techniques to detect it using machine learning (ML) approaches. This paper introduces, discusses methods and recent advancements in the field of fatigue detection. Further, we categorized the methods that can be used to detect fatigue into four diverse groups, that is, mathematical models, rule‐based implementation, ML, and deep learning. This study presents, compares, and contrasts various algorithms to find the most promising approach that can be used for the detection of fatigue. Finally, the paper discusses the possible areas for improvement.

Mental disorders in primary care in Israel: prevalence and risk factors

OBJECTIVE

Psychiatric morbidity is common among patients in primary care services and leads to disability and increased use of medical services. Comparison of primary care and community prevalence data is of interest in relation to the health services planning for mental disorders. The aim of the present study was to measure prevalence of mental disorders in six primary care clinics in Israel and to assess risk factors for these disorders.

METHOD

Prevalence of mental disorders was measured in a sample of 2,948 primary care consecutive attendees, using two-stage stratified sampling with the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI).

RESULTS

A high rate (46.3%) of current mental disorders was found, with rates of current depressive episode, generalized anxiety disorder, somatization disorder, and neurasthenia being relatively high in comparison with rates in other countries. Low education was a risk factor for all categories of disorders, unemployment a risk factor for depressive disorders, and parenthood was protective for most categories of disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

High rates of mental disorders were found in this Israeli primary care sample as compared to other countries, while in the community the rates were midrange as compared to other countries, pointing to a relatively higher use of primary care services by patients with mental disorders in Israel than in other countries.

The Health and Well-being of Jewish People Aged 65 to 85 Years Living at Home in the East End of London

Relatively little is known about what has been termed cultural gerontology, or the experience of ageing among members of particular ethnic minority groups. One of the greatest gaps in current knowledge relates to the subjective health status and use of health services among elderly people in ethnic minorities, particularly those who are Jewish. The research results reported here are from a survey of elderly people in City and Hackney, London, of whom 16% were Jewish. They show that Jewish respondents were more likely than other elderly people to report problems with emotional well-being, with mental and physical health and with functional ability (tasks of daily living). Jewish respondents were also more likely to use services, particularly health services, than other respondents. The associations with service use generally remained after health status had been controlled for.

Drowning your sorrows? Attitudes towards alcohol in UK Jews and Protestants: a thematic analysis

BACKGROUND

Jewish culturally supported beliefs may discourage drinking and drunkenness as ways of socialising and coping with stress. Thus Jewish men under stress may be relatively more likely to become depressed, and less likely to use and abuse alcohol. This study is the first qualitative comparison of Jews and Protestants, men and women. It examines whether alcohol-related beliefs are consistent with the alcohol-depression hypothesis, i.e. that positive beliefs about alcohol use and effects are associated with high alcohol use and low depression.

MATERIAL AND DISCUSSION

A thematic (interpretive phenomenological) analysis on open-ended question responses, from 70 Jews and 91 Protestants, and on semi-structured interviews with five Jews and four Protestants, identified three salient themes: the importance of retaining self-control; the pleasures of losing inhibitions; and the relations of alcohol-related behaviour to identity. Compared to Protestants, Jews described alcohol-related behaviour as threatening to self-control, loss of inhibition as unenjoyable and dangerous and distinguished between the kinds of drinking behaviours appropriate for Jews and others. Sub-themes for Protestant men were denial that drinking threatens self-control, and appropriateness of going to the pub.

CONCLUSIONS

The themes identified are not measurable using published research instruments. Alcohol-related behaviour may be a feature of Jewish identity. The beliefs identified are consistent with the alcohol-depression hypothesis.

Somatization Disorder

There are many new developments regarding somatization disorder, which is among the most difficult and cumbersome of the psychiatric disorders encountered in neurology practice. Diagnostic criteria have been revised to facilitate clinical care and research. The differential diagnosis includes neurologic disorders (eg, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy), systemic medical disorders, and other psychiatric disorders (eg, mood and anxiety disorders, conversion disorder, malingering, and factitious disorder). Many patients have one or more of these illnesses comorbid with somatization disorder. Finally, somatization disorder demands creative biopsychosocial treatment planning by the neurologist, psychiatrist, and other health professionals.

Religious denomination as a symptom-formation factor of depression in older Dutch citizens

OBJECTIVES

The type of symptoms in depression is likely to be influenced by cultural environment. As religion represents an important cultural resource for older adults, it is hypothesised that religious denomination represents a symptom-formation factor of depression in the older generation. Focusing on older Dutch citizens, it is expected that depressed Calvinists report: (1) less depressed affect, (2) more vegetative symptoms, and (3) more guilt feelings, than Roman Catholics and non-church members.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to distinguish depressed (N=395) and non-depressed (N=2333) older adults, and to assess depressive symptom-profiles. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) was used to assess major depressive episodes and criterion-symptoms of depression.

RESULTS

Depressed Calvinists, especially males, had higher scores on the vegetative CES-D subscale. The same was found for non-church members with Calvinist parents. Among those who have had a major depressive episode in later life (N=84), support was found for all hypotheses. Feelings of guilt were also more prevalent among Roman Catholics.

CONCLUSIONS

Religious denomination modified the type of symptoms in late-life depression. As a Calvinist background was associated with less depressive affect and more inhibition, there is a risk of underdiagnosis of major depression in older Calvinists in The Netherlands.

Psychiatrists' religious attitudes in relation to their clinical practice: a survey of 231 psychiatrists

A total of 231 psychiatrists working in several London teaching hospitals were surveyed about their private religious attitudes and how these affected their reported clinical practice. Although only 27% reported a religious affiliation and 23% a belief in God, 92% felt that psychiatrists should concern themselves with the religious concerns of their patients. Although the psychiatrists who were religious were more likely to make referrals to religious leaders or to disclose their own beliefs to patients, contrary to reports from the United States there was no evidence that psychiatrists' private religious beliefs had an important influence on their clinical practice.

The epidemiology and treatment of depression when it coexists with somatoform disorders, somatization, or pain

This article reviews the relationship between depressive disorders and somatoform disorders, somatization, and pain. These disorders and symptoms are clinically interrelated, yet the nature of the interrelation is not well understood. This review of the literature from 1975 through mid-year 1990 addresses the epidemiology and treatment of these conditions and/or symptoms when they occur together. When robust criteria are used to determine which publications are included, only 14 are available that address depressive disorders, somatoform disorders, and somatization. Similarly, there are only 13 that address depressive disorders and pain. Taken together, these studies indicate that 1) in somatization disorder patients, there is a high prevalence of depression; 2) in patients with major depression, there are substantial levels of hypochondriacal and somatizing symptoms; 3) that depression in the face of coexisting somatization disorder can be successfully treated; 4) in chronic pain patients, there is a high prevalence of depressive disorders; 5) in patients with major depression, pain is a frequent complaint; 6) and finally, that pain improves with the treatment of depression. What is most striking from this review, however, is the very limited number of studies that address these important problems. This lack of research-based data calls for new aggressive research efforts in this area.